


Half Moon and Misty Hillsides

by mousesprings



Category: Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Angst, Divorce, Family, Gen, Marriage, absolutely nobody deserves this, compulsory heterosexuality, except moomin is gay and doesn't know it, except moominvalley is a perfect world so...feeling obligated to be in a relationship i guess?, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-30
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-05-31 07:13:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19421065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mousesprings/pseuds/mousesprings
Summary: Some fantasies become reality, and that's not always a good thing.





	Half Moon and Misty Hillsides

**Author's Note:**

> divulgence is still happening don't worry. i just gotta do this too. it's a quest and i'm on it. 
> 
> in which it takes moomintroll a marriage and having a kid with snorkmaiden to realise he's actually gay. woopsy.

It was the March since the comet, and the long, paralysing winter opened up to a new world of blue skies and lush earth. Moomintroll sat at his favoured spot below the verandah, picking up small dandelions and threading them together by puncturing small holes in their stems with a claw. He had tossed aside the failed flowers, their stems torn, but nothing could take away the delight of the new spring. It meant many things to him, his heart aching with excitement for something. 

But his flower quilting was quickly interrupted by a rapid scuttle of footfalls coming his way from behind. “Moomin! Moomin!” He recognised the voice of Sniff from anywhere, and he pulled away in time before the spindly brown creature could barrel into him and ruin his creation. “What are you doing sitting out here? I thought we were going to the beach.” 

“Just a moment,” murmured Moomintroll as he finished threading the next flower. Sniff hovered over him with his beady eyes shining with interest.

“Oh, is that for Snorkmaiden?” he asked. “It’s very pretty.” 

Moomintroll lifted up the chain and blinked at it. “I suppose so,” he said. “I just felt like making it though.” 

Sniff grabbed him by the arm and hauled him up, dappled by the shade of the apple trees above. “Well, let’s go then!” he demanded. “Little My and Snorkmaiden are already waiting for us!” 

Moomintroll quickly threaded the ends of the chain together and looped it around his arm as he followed Sniff to the bridge, where sure enough the girls were awaiting them by the water’s edge. He peered at the empty shore and frowned at it, and he pricked his ears at the birdsong of a lone passerine. Pleasant but discordant. No lyric. _But soon_. 

The rest of the first day of spring was spent frolicking in the beach with his close companions, Sniff and Little My pushing against the swollen waves while Moomintroll and Snorkmaiden stayed at the sand to investigate shells. Moomintroll shuffled his feet a few times, for the sand was quite scorching, and he could feel a curious pair of eyes on his arm. 

The golden fluff atop of Snorkmaiden’s head bounced with elation. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Is that for me?”

“Huh?” Moomintroll checked his arm and remembered the dandelion chain. “Oh, I suppose.” He unsleeved it from his arm and passed it to her, and he sat back as his friend stood up to pluck it on her head.

Snorkmaiden hummed and did a twirl. “How do I look?” 

Moomintroll smiled and tried to remember the word Sniff said. “Pretty,” he answered. 

“Oh, you!” She giggled with a bashful paw to her mouth, and then returned to shell picking while Moomintroll looked on, feeling quite baffled. He could not help but notice eyes on him from across the sea and he felt himself growing hot as the sand under his feet. 

The friends remained at the coast until the late afternoon where they returned to Moominhouse with shells in their hold. Since they had left, a rose mallow garden was on its first stages, and they worked to decorate around the bushes with scallops. 

"Do you want to use my shells?" Moomintroll passed his to Snorkmaiden, seeing she had run out of shells. 

"Oh, thank you!" Snorkmaiden had the same bashful look on her face as she began to sort the shells around the base of the mallows. 

Moomintroll knew he was being watched from all around and he started feeling red again - but also, very frustrated. He wanted to ask what was so peculiar about his interactions with Snorkmaiden, and he could not help but notice his parents exchanging looks with each other at every other minute. It made something brew within him; was he in trouble?

Little My quickly broke the tension, “So Sniff had _sniffed_ out a cave back at the beach. We wanted to go explore it before he came back, but he’s a chicken.” 

“I’m not a chicken! I just...didn’t want to go yet!” Sniff’s tail swung behind him. “Also that pun was awful!” 

Moomintroll watched Snorkmaiden finish accessorising the plants. “Well, we can always go back now,” he suggested. “There’s still daylight left.” 

“Exactly what I was thinking!” Little My turned tail and begin careening towards the bridge in jaunty skips. “Let’s go, then! Last one there’s a snail!”

The children all begin hurtling her way, all until Moomintroll was abruptly paused by a firm paw on his shoulder, and he nearly floundered. “Now wait just a moment there, boy.” Moominpappa’s voice was oddly serious. “Your mother and I want to talk to you.” 

“Ha - What?” Moomintroll’s tail spiked forward, recognising that rare but well-acquainted tone. Oh dear, he _was_ in trouble. 

Moominmamma searched his gaze and her features softened. “Don’t worry, dear,” she said, full of knowing. “We just want to speak with you about something.”

Ears flat, he faced towards his friends whom were already halfway to the bridge. Snorkmaiden raised a paw to wave. “We will meet you at the bridge,” she promised before running after the others. 

“Moomintroll…” Moominpappa had a sheepish look about him as his eyes cast toward the bridge, and then he waved a paw to signal they follow him to the verandah. Moomintroll looked at the desolate display of askew dandelions at the bottom, his creation now a rosette atop of Snorkmaiden’s head - and although it was a pleasant offering, no dandelions grew anywhere else nearby at this time. 

His father cleared his throat as his family were assembled next to Moominmamma’s old rocking chair. “So, your mother and I, we have come to notice a few things about you,” he began. “Particularly, you and your relationship with young Snorkmaiden.”

“Okay…” Moomintroll’s paws fiddled together. 

“Moomintroll,” said Moominmamma. “Do you like Snorkmaiden?” 

His eyebrows knitted together. What a bizarre question. “Of course I do,” he muttered. “I like all of my friends.” 

His parents fell hushed, and he wondered if he had said something wrong. Moominpappa scratched beneath his hat. “I believe what your mother means,” he said, “is that if you like her in a way - well, like how the sun sees the moon, or how a bee sees the first sweetclover of spring, or how the hedgehog will see his future wife, or-”

Moominmamma stopped him with a gentle but firm shove to his chest. “We were just wondering if you perhaps see Snorkmaiden like how your father saw me when we first met.” 

It took Moomintroll mere seconds to finally understand, and his eyes stretched wide across his face. “You mean… like I might want to _marry_ her someday?” 

Moominpappa coughed loudly. “Well, if that’s how quick you want it to-” 

“No!” he interrupted at once. “No, no, no, no, _no_! Never! Not in a million years!” 

“Never?” echoed Moominmamma. “Hm, I see.” 

“You may feel that way now, Moomin,” Moominpappa stated. “But come a few years, something different may occur. It’s normal, you know.”

“But Snorkmaiden is my _friend_!” Moomintroll protested. “Just because she’s my friend and she’s a girl, doesn’t mean I would want to marry her at some point!”

Moominmamma frowned. “Perhaps you’re right. Oh, Pappa, perhaps we shouldn’t have brought it up-” 

“Nonsense, dear,” her husband declared. “Moomintroll is still a young lad with lots of growing and thinking to do. I’m just saying, I was around his age when I met you, and I was only wondering if anything had sparked yet.” He sighed and gazed at his son. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you, Moomintroll. But you never know what may come up in a few years. You'll understand once you're older." 

Moomintroll pouted. "But I'm not-"

A distant noise growing louder by the edge of the forest made Moomintroll's words fall flat. It was hushed still but, next to the first birdsong of spring, was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard: a harmonica. 

"Snufkin!" His friends erupted into a chorus. "Snufkin is back!"

Moomintroll immediately departed down the stairs and craned to watch his friend emerge from the foliage beyond the bridge, harmonica raised to his lips and playing a melodic waltz that the following blue robin seemed to mimic. Snufkin walked to the bridge, still focused on his tune, although he was quick to stop as Little My's trio came careening towards him. He seemed to wince and bristle at first, and although he had somewhat relaxed upon recognising them, he still appeared uncomfortable. 

Despite himself, Moomintroll quickly rushed to his friend's aid. Before the comet, when the group had first stumbled upon the young mumrik and his tent, Snufkin was quite a sparkled, enthusiastic child. But he was unfortunately mellowed after witnessing the hollowed out ocean floor: a result of the comet's disastrous efforts, and although his eyes were shining again, he had since grown to resent the onslaught of unwanted attention. It made Moomintroll think twice about approaching him the same way as the others. Snufkin's eyes trailed past the bridge and when they fell on Moomintroll, his face softened and he smiled, even though his tail was still stiff. 

"You've come back!" exclaimed Moomintroll as his friends parted back. He examined Snufkin's backpack with great intrigue, wondering what tales it held. 

"I promised I would," Snufkin mewed. 

"So what did you get up to, huh?" pressed Sniff. "What did you see on your travels?" 

"Yes. What's there over the Lonely Mountains?" asked Snorkmaiden.

Little My snorted. "Also, when was the last time you took a bath?" 

Snufkin raised a paw. "I will answer all of these questions later," he vowed with some irritation edged in his voice. "But first I would like to set up my tent." 

They all left him be as Snufkin headed down the bridge and began assembling his home, all except Moomintroll who remained at the bridge. Warmth brewed in his heart as he stared bashfully in the water. "Do you want me to leave too?" he asked, voice quiet. 

Snufkin looked up. "No," he said. "You can help me if you want." 

His ears perked up. "Okay!" 

He joined beside him and followed Snufkin's instructions on how to hammer the pegs down. A soft smirk played at the young mumrik's face. "You're quieter than the others," he murmured. "I've always liked that about you." 

So small with such a way of words. Moomintroll could feel a strange tugging sensation at his chest. "We were going to explore a cave at the beach," he said slowly. "Do you want to come with us?" 

He expected rejection, Snufkin no longer being much for company, but he was pleasantly surprised when his friend's eyes lit up. "I will love to," he replied. 

Moomintroll beamed and sat back as Snufkin finished pitching. Then they set out to follow Moomintroll's friends down the old beach path, where they walked a bit far behind, side by side, and Snufkin began muttering vague tales of his winter travels. The tales were for nobody else but his friend, and Moomintroll listened on with great interest and enthusiasm. He liked hearing Snufkin describe things in ways he found flowery and intriguing. He liked hearing his voice. 

Suddenly, Moomintroll knew how a bumblebee must feel when it sees the first sweetclover of spring. 

* * *

Old habits die hard, especially if they persist for almost ten years.

Moomintroll shuffled on the rock he was sitting on, wishing he had chosen a more comfy place to wait. He grabbed the lunch he had bagged for himself and picked out a braeburn apple, holding it up by the stalk and twirling it until the stalk plucked off and the apple rolled dejectedly along the sickly green earth. Moomintroll sighed and stared back into the bleak woodland. 

"Moomintroll, dear, what are you doing?" He turned around as Snorkmaiden walked down the bridge. "Don't you think it's a bit early to wait for him?' 

"I just want to be the first one to meet him when he comes back," he insisted, yearning for the growing sound of the mouth organ or even a harmonious shrill from a bird to signal he was even nearby. 

Snorkmaiden walked beside him and laced her paw into his own. "Please come back inside," she said gently. "You'll freeze out here. Tell you what - how about I make you some tea?" 

He considered for a moment, glancing at his makeshift lunch and the apple that he didn't consider himself primitive enough to eat anymore. At last he gave in and squeezed her paw. "Alright, love." 

He allowed her to lead him back inside her house where they shared their hibernation, although he stole one last look into the forest before he was pulled inside and the door was slammed shut. 

Snorkmaiden had a cosy little house; once it was shared by her and her brother before he had left due to 'creator's block', now residing close to the lighthouse where Snorkmaiden visited a few times a month with a hamper basket of necessities. Because the Snork had always seemed to forget how to care for himself once in a while. 

Moomintroll sat by the table with a steaming mug burning into his paws. Snorkmaiden topped her own with honey and stirred it with a tiny spoon. "And anyway, you shouldn't spend the whole of spring waiting for Snufkin to come," she informed. "Aren't your parents throwing a spring party for this year? I thought we could attend it together." 

"We are." Moomintroll raised his mug to his snout. "We'll be the bell of it, I'm sure." 

She giggle-snorted in response. "And since your parents will definitely be there, I'm sure they won't mind giving us advice on our eventual _matrimony_." 

He nearly spat out his tea. "Wh- What?" Matrimony? _Marriage_? But he had only been with Snorkmaiden for several years! He thought it was supposed to be a gradual buildup over time, when they both felt ready. 

… Was it? 

Moomintroll's throat tightened. Was he expected to marry Snorkmaiden any time soon? Was that how it was supposed to go? Even if he was not ready for it? He was always told things would be different come a few years… That he was simply too young and foolish to understand… Was he still young and foolish? 

Snorkmaiden noticed his reaction and grew sheepish, lightly tapping on the table. "I was only joking, sweetheart," she said with a calm smile. "Although, I suppose it is a nice thing to think about, hm?" 

Suppose…

Moomintroll shook his head and raised his mug again. "Yes, it is," he said, voice echoing into the mug, and hoping she would not see his clearly anxious smile through it. 

Pass a few days, the spring party was deep in session, Snufkin was still absent, and Moomintroll was feeling terribly, terribly ill. The topic of marriage, as brief as it was that day, had been bothersome on his mind ever since. It was not as though he had never, ever once thought about it, and as far as he knew he was always indifferent about it. As long as it was with the right person. 

And Snorkmaiden was the right person, right? 

Why was he still feeling ill about it? 

"So, Mymble, you will never guess who had turned up on our verandah last September," said Moominpappa among a circle of chairs that Moomintroll was sitting amongst, alongside his mother and the said Mymble. 

Moomintroll tried to remember who, and then his ears shot up when it came back to him. Oh, that was an odd day. 

"The Joxter!" Moominpappa declared. "Just turned up one afternoon, curled under the table. Mamma almost hit him with a broom." 

"Well, I say!" the Mymble exclaimed. "It has been a while since I've seen him. What was he doing there?" 

"He said he got lost in his travels and thought the verandah was a good place to clear his mind," answered Moominmamma. 

The Mymble beamed. "That sounds like him," she mused. "Is he here now?" 

"Well, he's not in the party with us," said Moominpappa. "It seems he was off again during our hibernation. But he said he may come back."

Moomintroll would have added to the conversation but his chaotic mind rendered him silent. He toyed with his glass of punch as he listened with perked ears. 

But it seemed his hopes of just being forgotten in the conversation had been crushed. "So what have you been getting up to, young lad?" It took a few seconds to realise the Mymble was now talking to him. "You still holding paws with that Snorkmaiden?" 

"Oh, yes," he replied, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "Two years and counting…" 

"I have always assumed you two were in a relationship since the beginning," she said. "You two have always liked each other, even as kids." 

Ah yes, he and Snorkmaiden got up to many games when they were young. He remembered when he was Tarzan, and she was Jane, and he was Prince Charming while she was Sleeping Beauty - and Little My was the dragon that confided her inside her makeshift treehouse because she wanted to be involved. 

But they _were_ just games. 

The Mymble drank her punch. "When's the wedding?" she asked suddenly. 

Moomintroll nearly choked. 

"Mymble!" gasped Moominmamma. "Not so fast." 

"Only joking! You all should know me by now. Although, wouldn't it be nice to have a wedding around here? 'Hasn't been one in years." 

"Yeah…" Moomintroll decided he hasn't had enough to drink. He stood up. "I'll be right back." 

He almost stumbled on the way to the punch bowl and when he refilled his glass and raised it up to drink, he had only noticed via a wet chest that he had missed his mouth. He shook his head and sighed loudly to himself, deciding to wait a while by the bowl to ease his rapid heartbeat before he would join his parents again. Yes, nothing but alcohol to distract him from the panic that was seeping in. 

Moomintroll stayed by for perhaps a minute before he was shocked back into the world by a light tap on his shoulder. He whipped around and his eyes lit up when he saw who was behind him. 

"Snufkin!" He placed his glass on the table and tightly embraced his friend, not thinking before acting. Snufkin mewed in surprise before sheepishly returning the hug, unlatching one arm to catch his hat before it could fall off his head. 

"You're here!" Moomintroll exclaimed after releasing him. "I… I didn't see you come back." 

Snufkin adjusted his scarf. "I arrived just this morning," he explained. "I thought I'd pitch my tent somewhere closer to the trees." 

Moomintroll grinned, feeling relaxed. "So, how have you been?" he asked. "I hope it wasn't too cold out there." 

"Nothing I couldn't manage." Snufkin glanced down as a troop of his latest siblings ran by them. "How about you..?" He seemed to trail, and then he glanced back up with folded arms. "Are you and Snorkmaiden doing okay?" 

"Oh, we're fine. We're…" Moomintroll's eyes travelled across the clearing where he spotted his partner talking with Misabel near the verandah. "We're fine." 

Snufkin paused, and then leaned down to try meeting his eyes. "Is everything okay?" 

"Yeah!" He quickly looked back. "I'm great! In fact, I should…probably go meet up with her, I suppose." 

Snufkin's face fell somewhat, and there was a cross of disappointment somewhere, although it was easily missed. "I see - well, I best be off too then. Minnow season, remember?" He tipped his hat before turning away. "See you around."

Moomintroll watched him vanish away from the crowd, feeling something tug at his chest, and once again he tried to will it away. He stared after him for longer than one would deem necessary, and he had almost forgotten his own cue to leave. 

He walked across the crowd to meet Snorkmaiden and Misabel. His partner looked up with delight upon seeing him. "There you are!" she said. "Misabel and I were just talking. You remember her, right?" 

"Of course." He shook paws with the said short creature, whom was once the maid for Moominhouse. "I'm glad you could make it." 

She smiled. "Always a pleasure, sir." 

"What were you two talking about?" he asked Snorkmaiden. 

"Just things." She twirled her punch glass. "Like how this year may go. It may feel like the right year for something life-changing to happen, don't you agree?" 

Moomintroll flicked an ear at the strange question. Then the thought of marriage burrowed its way back into him and he quickly swallowed down the nausea. "Yeah, I suppose so." 

The hints were dropping like flies. Moomintroll's ears flattened. Perhaps it was supposed to happen after all, if Snorkmaiden was ready for it. But it still made his heart thundering against his chest, and it was not willing down the nausea well. 

He glanced up as he saw his parents stand from their chairs to clumsily slow-dance together, their paws fumbling over each other but still laughing and enjoying one another. Was that what marriage is like? Enjoying the lot of it, despite the poor execution? 

Perhaps that was why he was feeling so unhappy. Marriage could potentially be the solution; it was what everyone seemed to expect from him, even though he was unsure, but he was nowhere near as traditional and experienced as the others. That was what had compelled him to start a relationship with Snorkmaiden, it would make him happy down the long run; perhaps marriage was the next step. 

He was going to do it. He was going to marry Snorkmaiden. 

Moomintroll planned the engagement for months and months, figuring out when to do it, how to do it, all of those necessities. The worst part was being unable to tell anyone, knowing how easy word got around in Moominvalley, but he felt like he was going to combust with the anticipation. 

At last, he concluded he would commence the engagement in a casual, private setting. He would simply ask her, no need to dramatically build up to it, like it was one of Moominpappa's favourite romantic dramas. This was not like a work of fiction; it was real life, and real life was terrifying and quick. 

He had sneakily managed to obtain a ring from Sniff's treasure hold, constructing some odd excuse that hopefully did not raise much suspicion. It was scarcely a ring appropriate to propose marriage, but what did he know about rings? How to properly obtain them? Moomintroll hardly knew anything. 

The night of the secret proposal trespassed, and Moomintroll woke up with a stomach ache that persisted throughout the day. He thought about postponing the proposal, perhaps even not bothering - that things could just continue with nobody ever knowing a thing. But no, he decided, it had to happen. It needed to happen. He needed to make things right.

He stood with shaking knees by the bridge, the aureate ring encased tautly in a closed paw, and Snorkmaiden’s house not too far away. One window was illuminated with a yellow light, and a smoking chimney suggested something was cooking. Moomintroll forgot to breathe a few times, and despite the itch to turn and flee, his feet stayed rooted to the ground. 

Why was he hesitating so much? 

“Moomin?” A familiar voice struck him back to earth. A pair of glowing night eyes appeared in the bramble fronds of the enveloping forest, revealing to be Snufkin’s as he emerged from the trees. “What are you doing out so late?”

Moomintroll honestly would have asked the same if Snufkin’s nature had not already made itself known. He was not given time to respond as Snufkin regarded him with a worried frown. “What’s troubling you?” 

“Nothing.” Moomintroll avoided his gaze.

"But your ears are drooping." Snufkin cocked his head to the side. “You can tell me, you know.” 

He supposed he could, having such a reliable friend; greatly admired for offering a vast arrange of whimsical advice. Moomintroll was not sure how to build up to it, so he decided to just spill it out. “I’m going to propose to Snorkmaiden.” 

Snufkin’s eyes grew wide and he almost choked on his words before saying, “Well, that’s a surprise.” Moomintroll too blundered as he attempted to explain, so Snufkin stopped him by taking hold of his paws. “Come to my tent. We can talk there.” 

Moomintroll followed Snufkin to the camp he had pitched inside the woodland, where he sat on a log and fiddled with his paws while Snufkin sat opposite and offered a listening ear. He felt totally miserable. “I’ve been… planning it for months.” He opened his paw to reveal the ring, where it glowed orange near the campfire. “I have to do it tonight but.. I just can’t do it.”

“You don’t have to do it tonight if you don’t want to,” said Snufkin gently. 

“But I have to do it sooner or later,” Moomintroll argued. “I - I just _have_ to do it.”

Snufkin’s eyebrows knitted together. “But do you _want_ to do it?” he asked. 

Moomintroll paused and the flames flapped violently. Snufkin prodded at his fire with a stick. “Of course I do,” responded Moomintroll. “I...I really like her and I think this will be the best thing for us, because I know we’ll both be happy. But it’s so hard to just _do_ it, you know?” He stared into the flames and shuddered. “And I feel sick whenever I think about it, and I know it can just be nerves. I’m _supposed_ to get nerves, right?” 

Snufkin said nothing for a few seconds, continuing to poke the flames about with the stick before dropping it aside. “I get that,” he said, not taking his eyes from the fire. “But you should not make such a commitment if there’s something holding you back. It’s a big decision to make, and it’s so easy to take it for granted.” 

“But…” Moomintroll cleared his throat. “But I’m sure I’m not being held back. It’s just the fact that it’s going to happen now, and I’m still having doubts. Even though I’ve been planning it for months… and I’ve been constantly prodded about marriage since I _began_ having a relationship with her.” 

He ended with hoarse laughter that seemed to calm him a little. Snufkin looked up to meet his eyes. "I think you should do it," he murmured. "Happiness is something you can only earn from yourself, and if you believe this is what it takes for the two of you to be at your happiest, then I will be with you all the way." 

Moomintroll blinked, feeling somewhat enlightened, but not all that convinced. He glanced back at the ring in his paw. "I just hope I'm not taking it for granted, like you said." He closed his paw. "I have always said that I will marry the right person…" 

"And is Snorkmaiden the right person?" Snufkin asked. 

He hesitated. "Yes..." 

"There you go, then." Snufkin's hat seemed to be covering a bit more of his face than it usually did. "You are more ready for this than you think." 

"Alright…" Moomintroll stood up and walked away from the campfire, back up the route he came. But just as he was about to exit through the browned ferns, he remembered he had neglected thanking Snufkin for his advice. 

But as he turned his head, Snufkin had gone, and he was instead met by the sound of his tent zipping shut. How curious for Snufkin to forget to quench his fire before going to sleep. Regardless Moomintroll pushed through the ferns and eventually found his way back where he was, beside the bridge. 

The house was truly not far, and Moomintroll only had himself and his golden ring. There was no turning back now. 

No dramatic build-up, just get straight to it. 

At his proposal, Snorkmaiden immediately crashed into his arms with a tear-stricken smile. "Oh, _yes_!" was her answer. "Yes! Yes! I will marry you!" 

Moomintroll raised an arm to awkwardly hug her back. "Yes…" he echoed, still feeling sick to his stomach. 

Just the nerves. 

* * *

The wedding. Moomintroll honestly did not remember much from it, despite it being the most important moment of his life. He remembered how quaintly everyone dressed; black and white all around, frilly dresses, obnoxious hats, flowers sewn at every inch. And of course the cake, which his mother had baked herself. It was tall, laced with vanilla frosting and raspberry rosettes. And two moomin figurines on top.

Moominpappa had insisted on officiating the wedding, Moomintroll seldom protested - it was either his father or the Fillyjonk. His paws were shaking throughout the whole thing; standing in the middle of a small clearing, the many visitors in chairs like an audience to his misery, as he awaited his new wife to walk down the aisle. 

But he remained well at keeping his composure, up until Moominpappa commenced with the final words, "I now declare you two husband and wife" along with the rings being fitted in each others' fingers. 

He was a husband now. 

A husband. Oh dear. 

There was a dance after the ceremony. Moomintroll quickly excused himself inside the forest, and once he was further away enough, he bent down to vomit behind some shrubbery. Relief swept over him, as though he had been containing that for almost the entire year, but now here he crouched in a cold sweat behind some bushes, currently in too much pain to stand up. 

He was a mess. He felt like a mess. His ears were ringing and he could scarcely register the gentle weight of a paw on his back as he tried to heave himself back up. "Don't move so fast," came Snufkin's accented voice. "Breathe." 

Moomintroll had never been in such an undignifying position. Once he seemed himself able to stand up again, with Snufkin's help, he groaned and wiped his mouth with the back of his paw. "Sorry," was all he could whimper out. 

"Don't worry." His best man gave an assuring smile as he rubbed along his shoulders. "Nerve-wracking, isn't it?" 

It was, indeed.

* * *

Moomintroll paced frantically outside the house, sweating and shaking like an idiot, and ears perked towards the house every now and then. The only sounds he could pick up was the hoot of a distant owl and the night crickets; nothing from inside the house. Moomintroll did not know if he should be worried.

He was sat on the rock for what may have been an hour, and his rump was beginning to ache. He probably would have long moved if anticipation was not already burning into him. 

This was it. Tonight, he was going to be a father. 

He stared at the moon-bleached hills and then pricked his ears as footsteps came from behind him. He whipped around at once at the approach of Moominpappa. "H-How is she?" 

His father shrugged. "I'm not sure. Your mother has just kicked me out of the house, so I think it's finally happening now." 

Moomintroll drew up his knees and held his head in his paws. As much as anxiety had had him in its talons, at the same time he was trembling with excitement. He had always wanted to be a father someday, and now that it was soon becoming a reality, he felt like he was dreaming. 

Moominpappa stood beside him and patted him on the shoulder. "She'll be fine," he reassured. "As long as she has Mamma with her, she's in good paws." 

"I know." Moomintroll's tail lashed. "I just… I hope I'll be good."

"At what? Being a father?" Moominpappa guffawed. "Don't worry, son. Every new parent gets these doubts, it's all part of the learning process."

His father was an orphan; no doubt his own worries had been even more intense. But still, Moomintroll fiddled with the end of his tail, he wondered why it was like he was having a very, very long dream. 

"It should be any minute now," said Moominpappa after some silence. "You'll be a father, and your mother and I will be grandparents. I'll be Moomin _grampa_ now - you'll be the Moominpappa of the family." 

Oh, by his tail. He hardly even thought about that. 

"And I know I don't really say this a lot, but just know that I am proud of you, son." 

Moomintroll looked up. "Thank you." 

"You will be a good father. Perhaps even better than I am. And I know that as I write my memoirs about today, no words could possibly express the moment that is now." 

Moomintroll smiled weakly and muttered his thanks again, feeling somewhat relieved. His nausea was lifted and he continued sitting with his father in silence, mind not on anything in particular. 

However, it wasn't until he heard the door open that he realised just how impatient he was. He nearly fell off the rock, and as he found Moominmamma leaning from the doorframe, he felt his fur becoming slick with sweat again. He hurried to her, heart pounding. "Is she alright?" 

He had the bravery to search his mother's face, and to his relief her eyes were bright and delighted. "They are doing just fine," she reported. "And she would like to see you now." 

Moomintroll remained rooted in his spot, almost hesitant to wander inside the house. Moominpappa reached out a paw and gave him a hearty nudge forwards. "Go on," he egged. "They're waiting for you." 

_They_ … Moomintroll took a deep breath. Right, no time like the now. He said his goodbyes and sauntered inside, and it was as though the walls were tightening around him. He pricked his ears toward the upstairs to listen for anything that may be a comfort, but only silence met him. Anxiety could have paralysed him but he made for the stairs. 

He crossed the hallway and edged towards the bedroom door, pressing his ear against the wooden plank that bordered between him and his new family. Again, no noise. Moomintroll lifted a paw to knock, and at his second knock he heard a confirming noise from Snorkmaiden. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open. 

Ensuring to crack open the door as quietly as possible, Moomintroll stepped inside and was met by an awed sight. Snorkmaiden lay under a white bedsheet with something very small curled in her arms. Moomintroll stepped closer to get a closer look and the first thing he noticed was how much the little moomlet resembled him: for the tuft of snork-fur it lacked atop its head, it made up for having a fuzzy white post-natal outer coat, which was the usual look for newborn moomins. Its eyes were fused shut and its ears were pinned against its head, and its little stump for a tail wiggled softly as it slept. 

Moomintroll could cry. His child was already perfect in every way. 

Snorkmaiden watched her baby, red with love, and had only noticed Moomintroll once he was by her shoulder. She looked up with wide but tired eyes. "Oh, hello there," she murmured. 

Moomintroll nuzzled into her shoulder, finding he had nothing to say. Snorkmaiden chuckled and patted his snout. "Aren't they beautiful?" she rasped. 

"Yes…" he choked. The child almost melded into their mother's soft chest fur. 

"Do you think they're a snork or a moomin?" his wife asked. 

Moomintroll blinked gently. "Does it matter?" 

"Well, we need to know so we know what to name them," chuckled Snorkmaiden. 

"Oh." Moomintroll's eyes went wide. Right, tradition. "Well, they look more like a moomin to me, I suppose." 

Snorkmaiden twirled a bit of the baby's fur with a finger. "I think so too," she affirmed. "So - little Moomin, then?" 

Moomintroll nodded, eyes becoming wet. "It's perfect."

* * *

The rest of the night was a blur; after an hour, the parents entered the room to exchange their pleasantries. Plenty of kisses for the new baby, and the more Moomintroll looked at his newly expanded family, all surrounded in awe at the newborn in Snorkmaiden's arms.

The more detached he felt.

He wanted to hit himself for feeling that way. _You idiot, this is the birth of your first child! You should be happy!_ He swallowed it down, hoping it was just the emotions. He had heard new fathers can get just as emotional as new mothers. It was completely normal. 

It was right. Everything was right. 

Everything was how it was supposed to be. Moomintroll was now a married moomin, and he has had his first child. And life could not get any better. 

Snorkmaiden gave the baby one last affectionate nuzzle before carefully placing them inside the cot; it was Moomintroll's old cot, his parents had never thrown it away. Moomintroll settled into bed next to her and reached a paw to turn off the light. 

"Goodnight, my love," murmured Snorkmaiden, her eyes heavy but full of pride. 

Moomintroll smiled back. "Goodnight." And the room became bleached in total darkness. 

He rested his head against the cushion and tried to let sleep take him, only it never claimed him for another hour, so instead he lay wide awake. Snorkmaiden had long since fallen asleep and as Moomintroll finally found it in him to close his eyes, he noticed they were still sodden, and a single tear was rolling down his cheek. He pawed at his face and took in a quiet, shaky breath. Perhaps the one who had said new fathers can be just as emotional was not lying at all. 

He hoped they were tears of joy.


End file.
